The product of the Nigel Doughty Academy later netted an unfortunate own goal as the game finished 3-2, but that barely took the shine off another impressive performance from the 20-year-old, who formed a solid partnership with Matt Mills in the heart of the back-four.

“It was a spectacular goal for his first for the club, because he is a Forest boy through and through. He has come through the ranks and that will mean a lot to him,” said Warburton.

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“He has lots of work ahead of him and I am looking forward to seeing how he develops. But he is 18 and we should not lose sight of that.

Ben Brereton slots the ball into the back of the net for Forest's third goal (Image: Joseph Raynor)

“We should not pile unnecessary pressure on his shoulders, because he has a lot more work still to come.

“I have no doubt he will improve even more, but let us not pile more pressure on a young man.”

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It was another day where quality players were not involved, with David Vaughan, Jason Cummings and Armand Traore left out of the squad.

But Warburton says it is simply a case of not being able to play everyone.

“You hear people say ‘play (Barrie) McKay, he is outstanding’, ‘play (Mustapha) Carayol’, ‘Brereton has to play’, ‘where is Cummings?’ – that is football, that is why we love it, it is a game of opinions,” he said.

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Forest v Bolton

“It was great to then have options off the bench. (Zach) Clough didn’t get on the pitch today, but (Andreas) Bouchalakis did and he has been frustrated. Wardy (Jamie Ward) trained so well on Friday, he is desperate to play. These are nice problems to have, but these are also frustrated footballers who want to play.

“It is about trying to get the balance right and hoping that you make the right selections.”